St. John the Evangelist Church wanted to bring a beautiful terrazzo installation into their new Cathedral Hall that would encompass the rich history of Lafayette’s first church parish’s three crests: the School crest, Church crest, and crest of the Fleur-de-lis. The 10” diameter Fleur-de-Lis crest was fabricated off site, and installed into the ground floor of the Cathedral using 6 Terrazzo formulas. The School and Church crests were water-jet cut off site out of 24 different formula pre-cast terrazzo panels, epoxy bonded together, and installed in block-outs left in the floor. The 34 terrazzo formulas used captured the subtle color variations found in both the Church and School crests. The new concrete slab presented a unique challenge due to saw-cuts every 10’ in each direction. After filling the saw-cuts and applying

a reinforced crack isolation membrane, the concrete was treated with a moisture vapor treatment prior to the epoxy primer. With a dedication ceremony looming and delays finalizing the crest colors, it was necessary to pour temporary panels over polyethylene sheeting at the two locations and finish them with the surrounding flooring. Upon receiving the finalized crest colors, the temporary panels were removed, and the permanent crests installed. While employing the two methods of production (precast and water jet-cut) was a welcome challenge, working with the crests’ many colors was a creative experience the Terrazzo Masters team embraced. The final result makes a beautiful and powerful installation that represents the over 2,000 familes that regard it as their spiritual home.

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